


Living Low..... Then Large

by DaFox12



Series: BatFluff [2]
Category: Batman - Fandom
Genre: Alone, Gen, fending for themselves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-25 13:05:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4961713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaFox12/pseuds/DaFox12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim and Damian have fended for themselves for years, but a meeting with someone may change that forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CaraLee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraLee/gifts).



"Ouch! You stepped on my foot!" Damian cried out, certainly overreacting, though the man carrying the thick wooden box didn't realize that entirely.   
"Oh, little guy, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were there. I-oh!" The bearded man slipped on Tim's outstretched foot. The fruit spilled everywhere, pouring out over the market. Tim shot the man a terrifyingly painful glance.   
"Watch my little brother there! You could've gotten him hurt!" Tim leaned over and helped pull Damian up off the ground. Tim shot the man one last glance before leading Damian away.   
When they arrived back near Crime Alley, Damian and Tim walked up the ratty old stairs to the abandoned apartment that they lived in together.  
"Did you get it, Timmy?" Damian's eyes widened. Tim gave him a smirk and a wink before tossing an orange in the air and revealing two plump, shiny apples. They both slid inside.   
After a simple dinner, Damian was positively exhausted. He yawned and laid down on the mattress the two boys were calling their bed. Tim smiled and kneeled down near Damain. Tim ruffled the younger boy's ebony hair.   
"Goodnight, buddy. Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!" Damian giggled modestly. Tim started back up, intending on returning to the other room of the modest apartment to just let the rickety facade of his confidence break apart, though he would never do so in front of Damian.   
"T-Timmy! Where are you going?" Tim gave a defeated smile and laid down next to his younger brother.   
"Sorry, kiddo. Sometimes I forget you can't sleep without me." Damian gave Tim an incredibly doubtful look.   
"You just want to be alone for a little while!" Tim rubbed Damian's back soothingly. Damian's eyes eased shut.   
"No. Never. I couldn't live without you, Damian. There would be nothing worth living for, little brother." Damian smiled as he wavered off to sleep.   
When Damian was asleep, Tim stood up and walked to the other room. He slid into the simple chair and sighed loudly. He rubbed his temples as gentle tears fell from his eyes and onto the fold-out table. He took several shaky breaths and buried his head in his arms.   
"I..... I can't do this anymore. Day by day...... What did we do to deserve this? This kid..... He's the most adorable thing I've ever seen.... The closest thing I have to a family..... He thinks I'm his brother..... Haha... If only..... If only I didn't have the weight of us both on me-sized shoulders." Tim's sobbing was suppressed as to not wake the little boy in the next room. Tim sunk off into a broken, pitiful sleep.   
The next morning, Tim woke up to a tap on his shoulder from a little boy.   
"Timmy? Timmy, you didn't sleep next to me. I had nightmares again." Tim's face went slack.   
"Sorry, buddy. I remembered about something I had to do and fell asleep.... Ah... Doing it." Damian rubbed his eyes.   
"Oh. Okay. That's fine, I guess. So, what's for breakfast?" Tim grinned, ruffled Damian's hair, and widened his eyes with mock-excitement.   
"Food already? It's probably only 7:00 and you're already thinking about food? I will never understand children!" Tim threw his hands up in mock exasperation. Damian giggled childishly. "C'mon, then, let's go pick us up some food!" Damian followed Tim out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian and Tim meet Bruce Wayne.

Damian dashed ahead of Tim, out of the older boy's sight.  
"Damian? Damian!? DAMIAN?!?!" Tim called out but his shouts were absorbed into the ocean of sound caused by the rushing Gotham crowd. A childish giggle later, and Tim turned to see Damian right next to him. Tim's terrified expression melted into a cross one.  
"Damian, if you ever scare me like that again, so help me!" Damian giggled again and Tim sighed and ruffled his hair before pulling him in for a hug.  
"Timmy, stop it you're embarrassing me!" Tim laughed wholeheartedly, a rare occurrence.  
"C'mon, then. Let's pick up some-agh!" Tim fell over onto the cold cobble of the street. An ebony-haired man in a business suit looked down at the ratty boy he had knocked over. He reached down with a sturdy hand and lifted the boy to his feet.  
"Excuse me. I'll have to be more careful in the future." The voice was calm and cool with a hint of gravel in it.  
"Ah, yeah. My bad, sir. Hey, wait!" The man stopped and pivoted as he heard Tim's voice call him back.  
"You dropped this wallet, mister..... Ah.... Wayne." The man walked back and reached his hand out to pick up the wallet. By the time the man looked back up, both boys were gone.  
"Timmy! You stole that from him! We have to give it back!" Tim looked up from the money he was holding, just around the corner in an alley, and gave him with a confused glance.  
"You do realize that this how we get all of our food, right? Besides, the guy is loaded. He won't miss a few hundred dollars." Damian's face went through a multitude of changes as he struggled with the words he sought to say.  
"Bu-but... Timmy.... We have to give it back!!" Tim sighed.  
"You don't understand....."  
"Well, maybe he can give us some more of his money!" Tim got a devilish grin on his face. "What? Why are you smiling like that?" When the boys walked into Wayne Tower, the two boys looked around, mystified at the magnificence of the lobby. Tim walked over to the front desk.  
"Umm, hello. We're... Uh... Looking for mister Wayne. Is he here?" The woman almost laughed out loud at the ratty boy.  
"Uh... Do you have an appointment?" She was incredibly poor at suppressing laughter.  
"Um.... Well, no. Not-"  
"Oh, hello, Bambi. Is there an issue here?" Tim's glance snapped to the source of the familiar voice.  
"Oh... Mister Wayne. I didn't know you knew this.... Ah..... Boy."  
"Why yes, I believe we met earlier today. I asked him to come here so we can discuss... Ah.... Funding for an orphanage he represents. This little one here is one of the lovely boys he's been telling me all about. Let's get started then." The man ruffled Damian's hair and Tim flushed with pride. The familiar man led Tim and Damian to the elevator.  
Upon arriving at the 108th floor, the boys were once again amazed, though now it was by the view. Neither had ever been so high up, never seen something so big seem so small.  
"Now, please excuse Bambi. She's new." The familiar man took notice of both of the boys' amazement and noted: "Amazing, isn't it? It never ceases to impress me." He looked as though he changed his mind on something he was going to say. Then, he spoke again in that calm yet gravelly voice.  
"You-you both seem very nice. You can keep whatever is left of the five hundred, by the way." Tim's eyes widened and Damian crossed his arms. "It must be awful. I can't imagine living in a worn-down apartment with no money-only each other. Despite losing my parents, I still had something. Alfred, my oldest friend and butler. My house. All the money I could ever want. But..... There is something else. You." The man pointed at Tim. "You have skill. I've seen you work. You impressed even me. That's hard to do." Tim's expression let the man know that Tim thought he was being vain.  
"You may never believe me, but I am the Batman." Tim scoffed. Damian tilted his head in wonder.  
"You need something more. More in life. I can give you that. I can give you a purpose again." Tim was livid simply from a few words from the man.  
"A purpose!? My purpose is to stay alive! To teach him how to do the same!" The man stepped back, nearly tripping over his desk.  
"All I'm saying is-"  
"NO! We don't need your sympathy. I appreciate all of this Mr. Wayne, I really do. But I don't need a 'purpose in life.' I have one! I have-" A tiny squeak stopped Tim in his tracks. The squeak grew in power until it was understandable:  
"Tim, I want to go with him."  
"We don't need him." Damian repeated himself, more forcefully now.  
"I want to go with him." Tim sighed and ran his hands through his hair.  
"Fine. But mister, if this isn't what it seems to be, I swear, I'll kill you." The man's soothing voice responded.  
"You won't regret your decision, I assure you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and kudo to let me know if you liked it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Thanks for CaraLee for the inspiration.


End file.
